Disclaimer: The beautiful boys of Gundam are not mine unfortunately.
Checkmate
Chapter 3
"So. You miss me?"
Wufei responded with a noise that Duo recognized well. That little growl that meant 'you know already, why are you bringing it up'. Wufei hated admitting stuff like that, but that didn't stop Duo from pushing him.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'."
"Don't go away." Wufei slid out of view for a few moments and returned with a tray of food and a drink.
"You're eating in your room? Why not in the dining room with everyone else?"
Wufei hung his head and Duo could tell he was trying to control his anger. When he spoke, his voice was acidic and Duo fought not to cringe.
"Because they're all morons and if I have to spend one more moment with them, I'm going to kill them."
"Glad to hear it's going well for you. For a minute there I was worried."
Sarcasm usually earned Duo some sort of glare and he never really paid attention to it. But this time, when his partner looked up at him, his glare was lacking the hardness he expected. He saw something else there in the onyx eyes that he didn't understand. Is he serious? Is it that bad?
"Alright 'Fei. Talk to me. What's going on up there?"
Duo sat there and listened to his partner do something no one, other than maybe himself and Heero had ever heard from the reserved man. Wufei vented his frustrations. He spoke of his dislike of being forced into the mission, his utter lack of respect for the men he's supposed to be training, and his tense relationship with Zechs.
"I don't know if I'm going to make it Maxwell. What happens if I'm actually stuck with these people for a year?"
"I have faith in you 'Fei. And I'll tell you something else, so does Lady Une. She told me that she had confidence that you could train a monkey to disarm a bomb in six months so she knew you could train those men into a proper security team in the same amount of time."
Duo felt a twinge in his chest when he saw the smile on Wufei's face. It was a shy smile and it melted his heart. And I made it happen…
"That's better. Now finish your dinner, take a shower and meditate for awhile. I bet you haven't meditated since you got there. And by tomorrow, you'll be good as new. And if that doesn't work, just hold a hand-to-hand combat session and take your frustration out on the trainees." Wufei's soft chuckle was music to Duo's ears. "And on that note, I'll say adios."
"Thank you Maxwell. Goodnight."
"Goodnight 'Fei."
Wufei disconnected his phone and stared at the blank screen. He didn't want to be here. But his sense of duty wouldn't let him quit. Maybe Maxwell was right. A shower and an hour or so of meditation would do me some good. But how did he know I hadn't meditated? Do I look that bad?
Wufei followed his partner's advice and now he was lying between the cool sheets, rested and with a calm mind. Thank you Maxwell. I may make it through this after all.
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Training Notice
MANDATORY
Hand-to-Hand combat
sessionsall week
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Zechs sat at the monitor and watched the man with the ebony ponytail very intently. He was engaging his men, one at a time, in hand-to-hand combat to test their skills and see where they were lacking. But Zechs wasn't sure it was fair to judge them against the martial arts master.
"Talk about comparing apples and oranges."
The exercise went on for several minutes and Zechs marveled at his new Security Commander. Chang Wufei was a former Gundam pilot who was now working for the Preventors, an organization charged with the duty of quelling rebellious uprisings, and maintaining peace on earth and the colonies. Zechs didn't know much about his background. Whoever originally recruited and trained the Gundam pilots did a damn fine job of erasing their pasts. They were practically ghosts of society.
The young man was strong, yet lithe and carried himself with a natural grace that was to be envied and admired. He was confident and focused and lived his life by his own strict set of morals. And Zechs could tell that Chang Wufei was quietly ruthless. You could see it in his onyx eyes. Just like Treize.
But unlike his former best friend and lover, Chang could be openly belligerent at times. He shied away from social situations and had a difficult time dealing with people he didn't like or agree with. Treize was an exceptional politician in that sense. He could look an enemy in the eye and treat him with the same reverent respect as he would god while he silently plotted their demise.
Despite having gotten off to a rough start, Zechs found he liked the man. He wanted to know more about him and he was determined to get past the cold exterior of Chang Wufei.
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"I approve."
"Of what?"
"Your methods. I saw your training session today."
Wufei smirked as he shifted his gaze to stare out into the blackness outside the Chancellor's large picture window. He had been curious why Zechs had paged him and now it was obvious to him. This was Zechs' way of saying he was wrong.
"You'll no doubt be hearing their groaning tomorrow."
"I better not. I told them that they were to deal with you directly and that unless they were bleeding and losing limbs I trusted you implicitly to handle their training." An eyebrow arched in surprise, but no words were said. "I trust you Chang." Wufei just nodded at the statement, but Zechs saw the hint of a smile pulling at the corners of the man's mouth. "I was also very impressed with your fighting skills. How long have you studied?"
"Since I was seven. Obviously my training has greatly suffered from my current lifestyle but I try to at least maintain my current skill level."
"I know I don't have your skill level, but I thought it might be nice if we could spar every now and again. I've become lax in getting proper workouts since becoming Chancellor."
"Then perhaps you would like to do some Tai Chi instead. It's not as physically demanding as sparring."
Zechs leaned forward, his voice becoming playful. "Are you saying I can't handle sparring with you Commander?"
"No. I'm implying that you can't handle sparring with me."
Zechs chuckled as he sat back in his chair. "Well then I guess I should take the hint. You are in charge of keeping me alive after all."
"Hmph." Wufei stood up and headed for the door. "If that's all you called me in here for, then I'll be leaving. I have work to do."
Zechs didn't bother with any parting shots at Wufei. He let the man go, knowing their relationship was fragile and not wanting to risk the tentative harmony they had established. But some day Wufei, I'll teach you how to take a joke and maybe even laugh.
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As Wufei listened to the chatter in his earpiece, his eyes focused on one thing. Or rather, one person. Milliardo Peacecraft. The Chancellor had asked him to stay during the meeting so he was stationed in the corner, out of the way, listening to his security team tick off 'all clears' as they roamed the grounds and building.
Wufei didn't listen to anything anyone in the meeting had to say unless it was Zechs speaking. He was mesmerized by the soft, deep voice of the platinum blonde and every time he stood up to speak Wufei's attention was 100 focused on the man. He was standing now, looking very official and stiff in the signature red garb of the aristocracy from the Sanc Kingdom. Suddenly, pale blue eyes glanced his way and he felt a tiny jolt in his chest. He tried to control the heat he knew was evident on his cheeks and he looked to the side, questioning his team on statuses he knew he just heard. Upon hearing from all the teams, he turned his attention back to the meeting and scanned the whole table of diplomats, generals and government officials. And once again, he found a pair of pale blue eyes fixed on him. He glared at the platinum blonde but was met with only the smallest of smiles before Zechs had to turn away and focus on the discussion again.
The meeting let out shortly after and as Wufei and Zechs made their way out of the building and to the car, he noticed the sideways glances and small smile on the Chancellor's face. He had thought Zechs' glances and smile during the meeting were just a way for him to distract himself from the boredom around him. But he's still doing it. Finally frustrated, Wufei stopped and glared at Zechs.
"What may I ask do you find so amusing?"
Zechs stopped a few paces away, the small smile still present. "What are you talking about?"
"During the meeting……and now, walking back to the car….you're staring and ….smiling at me. Why?"
Zechs closed the gap between them so they were only inches apart. "If you know what I'm doing, then that must mean you're keeping a very close eye on me Commander. Keep up the good work."
Wufei's eyes went wide and he knew his cheeks were flushed. If Zechs hadn't been standing so close, if those pale blue eyes hadn't been sparkling, if his voice hadn't been so soft….Wufei would have snapped back with a harsh retort accusing the Chancellor of stating the obvious. But because of all those factors, he was having trouble finding his voice. Is he doing this to amuse himself, or antagonize me?
"Hmph," was all Wufei managed to say before he turned and continued for the car. Zechs eventually caught up with him and their trip back to the space craft was silent. When they docked with their ship, Wufei immediately disembarked without saying a word and quickly made his way back to his quarters, his mind still occupied by Zechs.
"Damn it!"
He punched the button to open his quarters and stomped in. Zechs' safety is my mission. I need to focus on that, not acting like some stupid onna when we make eye contact! What the hell is wrong with me!
Wufei fell asleep vowing to take his mission seriously and leave Zechs behind as soon as possible.
To be continued…